360. Keith Barlow, Founder & CEO of XENOM

Today, I'm joined by Keith Barlow, founder & CEO of XENOM. A two-day, 10-event competition testing gymnastics, strength, and metabolic conditioning, XENOM is positioned as the mass-participation alternative to elite-only fitness competitions. In this episode, we discuss building the "decathlon of fitness." We also cover: Partnering with CrossFit and HYROX Competitive fitness as a cultural phenomenon The business model behind large-scale fitness events Subscribe to the podcast → insider.fitt.co/podcast Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider XENOM's Website: https://www.xenom.global/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xenomglobal/ Keith on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keith.barlow1/ Keith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-barlow-31490947/ - The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart fitness ecosystem for fitness and health facilities. Fitt Talent: https://talent.fitt.co/ Consulting: https://consulting.fitt.co/ Investments: https://capital.fitt.co/ Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (00:01) Keith's background (01:28) Founding story (02:03) HYROX founders partnership (05:02) CrossFit consumer vs. HYROX consumer (06:50) Event for everyday athletes (09:55) Partnership strategies (14:00) Venture pitch (18:51) Events, sponsorship, tickets (21:45) Event execution (25:45) Participation tiers and accessibility (28:30) Scoring system (31:19) Programming for affiliates, not just elite (34:00) 3–5-year vision (36:00) Where to find and follow XENOM (36:45) Conclusion